Reconsidering my RV setup

[LowTech]

Thanks for the Intel. That sounds, and looks, like a good one. I've been wanting to be closer to the river during winter for kayaking. Thought Ehrenburg might be an option but, you know, stay limit.
People are not something that we need but my lady is a weekend vender so we're always torn between too many and not enough.

 

[Cubey]

Thanks for the Intel. That sounds, and looks, like a good one. I've been wanting to be closer to the river during winter for kayaking. Thought Ehrenburg might be an option but, you know, stay limit.
People are not something that we need but my lady is a weekend vender so we're always torn between too many and not enough.

Imperial dam has lakes for that, one at the LTVA entrance (Senator Wash reservoir) and another down the road at a paid campground (Squaw lake). Yuma has waterfront parks to the Colorado River, but I don't know if boating is allowed there. Yuma has weekend vendor places I think. I don't know where though. Flea market maybe?

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Imperial Dam is far less crowded with usable cell data and short water/dump lines (often no lines) but it's 23+ miles to town.

That sounds like my kind of place!

 

[Cubey]

It looks like I'm not the only one dumping low mpg motorhomes in an attempt to downsize. I spotted a mid 80s 6.9 IDI motorhome (probably no turbo) in much better condition in Arizona for $4000. I guess mine is about worth half that, considering the water damage rot and fiberglass wreck damage.

I'm thinking that I wanna part out some of it soon, to squeeze as much money out of it as i can. I can easily sell the upright RV fridge I never use and the Onan genset I almost never use. It's nothing I will miss, even while I keep using the RV in the meantime. It would get rid of about 330lbs of dead weight and put several hundred dollars in my pocket.

Once I get back to my truck, I can begin stripping off more stuff that I want to keep (solar/batteries, turbo kit,deep C6 pan, add-on gauges, electric fuel pump, etc) and just dump what's left for $1500-2000 and be done with it. I'm sure someone would be happy to get a low mileage IDI NA engine and a recently rebuilt C6 spec'd for diesel with a shift kit for a couple thousand. Or even to use for weekend RV use to take a family out to the lake or whatever. They'd just have to fix the exhaust first.

Unless I just keep it parked as a storage shed but that eh, I could sell it and buy an actual storage shed for $500-1000 and put in my mom's back yard, and not worry about code enforcement getting ****** about a "broken down" motorhome sitting there for years. The longer I keep it in non-use, the lower value it's going to become and the more it's gonna cost me.

I spotted a bright yellow 87 Econolione cargo van (6.9 NA, C6) in Kingman AZ for $3500. If I had that kind of money lying around, I'd go snatch that up. Yeah i could probably get a $3500 loan from my credit union again but no, I'm not going to do that. I would like a van more than the truck and slide-in though, in terms of how the living space is in relation to the cab.

Does make me step back and consider trying to get a van of some kind, be it a minivan, IDI van, or just any later 90s Econoline van (for the E4OD mpg). I spotted an ugly paint 97 E150 4.6L V8 standard passenger van (not extended, bench seats in the back --edit: actually it is extended i think!) for $3200 in my mom's city with only 111k. Not sure I like passenger though, so many windows makes it not great for "RV" use, too much heat gets in unless you put up reflectix and foam board insulation over the many windows to block them off and insulate them. I have done that very thing in this RV in fact, due to the massive windows they put.

I suppose I'll see what comes up for sale near Yuma this winter. I could potentially store the motorhome for one summer season (if i can't sell it fast, costs $30/mo storage) and switch to a van of some kind while at the LTVA. Paying on a $3500-4000 loan for 6 months might not be terrible, if my fuel budget is cut in half, and if i can sell the motorhome (mostly in tact, except for solar) and later sell the F250 next year then I wouldn't have to pay it for years. I'd still have the GV kit I could resell for what I have it, which would be a good chunk of cash. Unless I end up putting it on a van with an E4OD, for even better mpg.

 

[franklin2]

Have you ever messed with or worked with glass? It is very heavy. You would be amazed how much weight it adds to a vehicle. A cargo van will be much lighter than a passenger van.

Of course you would still need to insulate a cargo van. I like a van for working out of, but they are a hot box in the summer.

 

[Cubey]

Have you ever messed with or worked with glass? It is very heavy. You would be amazed how much weight it adds to a vehicle. A cargo van will be much lighter than a passenger van.

Of course you would still need to insulate a cargo van. I like a van for working out of, but they are a hot box in the summer.

Yeah that too.

I'm considering skipping the LTVA this season entirely, and just mailing a check for the next 6 months storage instead of pulling it out for the 5 months I'd be there (owing no rent when it's not stored). 6 months rent is equal to the LTVA pass so I wouldn't save anything by going there right now.

And I'd have to spend $250-300 in fuel to get there from here. Plus it's 50 miles round trip to Walmart twice a month. Even in the bug, that's not cheap.

Instead, I'm thinking I'll just start slowly heading back to Arkansas, get out there in November, and see what I want to do at that point. I can park the motorhome for free at my mom's house, and run a little electric heater at night if needed, reimbursing her for the electric usage.

Winter is a good time to be out there working on stuff, no excessive heat to cope with. It can get very cold in January, but it's still better than 105 heat with humidity.

I will have to see what condition the truck's tires are in. Maybe i can get another year out of them, since they have so few miles on them. And do the various fluid flushes it needs, at bare minimum.

I might get lucky selling the motorhome for a good price, and lucky finding a nice deal on a van while I'm there for 2-3 months. If not, I have the truck to use still. Maybe I can consider a van later, if I don't decide to keep the truck and get a better camper on it. I'm going to try a big folding pet step thing got for free to see how Lucy does using it to get in and out. That's the biggest issue with truck campers, they are so high up. And she's heavy and awkward to have to lift on and off of the tailgate.

If the one I have isn't quite tall enough, I did see this one for $100. I'm guessing the tailgate is no higher than 36", but I'd have to measure.

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[onetonjohn]

You could check out prices in California. Maybe workout a plan to sell it here. Everything here costs more than everywhere else.

 

[Cubey]

You could check out prices in California. Maybe workout a plan to sell it here. Everything here costs more than everywhere else.

RVs/vans are sometimes cheaper in California and other expensive places. People with money willing to take less. Diesels might be more appealing, no California smog check on diesels older than 97.

And if you find something gas in California that's failing state emissions testing, you can scoop it up cheap because they just want it gone.

I messaged the driveline shop just to see what ballpark figure they'll say to install the GearVendors on the RV. If it's about $500, I'll probably jump at that and keep it w few years more. If it's $1000, no probably not.

This is the stupidity that you see in the south. This IDI crushed by a tree and they probably got insurance money on it, and they want $2000 for it still.

 

[onetonjohn]

You see that kind of dumb stuff in California too.

 

[Cubey]

You see that kind of dumb stuff in California too.

It's almost every listing in the south. A $3000 gas engine van with over 300,000 miles. $4000 with 250k+. People think their worn out crap is worth a lot. I admit, I was over valuing my RV at first. But i have undervalued stuff before and basically screwed myself due to the price and timing of selling.

The 87 idi cargo van I see for $3500 in Arizona is reasonable but I don't want to get $3500 in debt again, if i can help it. Maybe in a year, I'll be in a position to change my mind. Paying off a credit card by new years and then I'll be in a better position to start saving

 

[franklin2]

RVs/vans are sometimes cheaper in California and other expensive places. People with money willing to take less. Diesels might be more appealing, no California smog check on diesels older than 97.

And if you find something gas in California that's failing state emissions testing, you can scoop it up cheap because they just want it gone.

I messaged the driveline shop just to see what ballpark figure they'll say to install the GearVendors on the RV. If it's about $500, I'll probably jump at that and keep it w few years more. If it's $1000, no probably not.

This is the stupidity that you see in the south. This IDI crushed by a tree and they probably got insurance money on it, and they want $2000 for it still.

Years ago I bought a truck like that. I thought it was dumb too, and it sat on craigslist for a very long time. They wanted $1000 for it. It started and ran, and it had the zf 5 speed I wanted for my swap. Every junkyard I went to, they wanted $1000 for a good used zf for my diesel. So I bit the bullet and spent a $1000 for the wrecked truck, took the zf out and put it in my truck. I had all the little parts there I needed to make it look factory. I was then able to sell all the spares off and bring my total cost for the swap way down.

I will admit $2000 sounds steep, but if you could talk them down to 1200-1500, and it had the parts you needed, it may be worth it.

 

[Cant Write]

At 55-60 my van will pull 20 mpg even with today’s fuel. It is a passenger van (heavy windows) and a high-top. I do use a fuel lubricant

That van may very well allow you to travel AND save money over the MH with an initial investment. 2 things that you want. Is it an EB?

Then sell the bug, MH and camper/pickup. Save the GV for the van. Put the best C6 in the van. Or use the C6, GV and turbo as negotiating tactics.

Get a small TT that the van will pull and use that at your LTVA in winter. Use your van to travel during summer.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

At 55-60 my van will pull 20 mpg even with today’s fuel.

I think that's pretty impressive. That is where it was designed to run though.

 

[Cant Write]

I have only had the patience to run that speed twice to hand calculate.

1: from Montrose CO to the Sinclair station in Midwest WY. I was on fumes. Went slow cause the family was sleeping while I drove through the night. 19.xxxx

2: Mitchell SD to somewhere in western NE. All highways. And driving that highway at Thedford NE headed west, just love that road for gawking. 20.*** (low)

Come to think of it, you know what I love about NE. Dang near ever rural resident waves!! Just LOVE that!!

 

[Cubey]

At 55-60 my van will pull 20 mpg even with today’s fuel. It is a passenger van (heavy windows) and a high-top. I do use a fuel lubricant

That van may very well allow you to travel AND save money over the MH with an initial investment. 2 things that you want. Is it an EB?

Then sell the bug, MH and camper/pickup. Save the GV for the van. Put the best C6 in the van. Or use the C6, GV and turbo as negotiating tactics.

Get a small TT that the van will pull and use that at your LTVA in winter. Use your van to travel during summer.

I could perhaps see 20 with an e4od and a good tailwind. I had a normal top 97 E150 conversation van (4.6 V8, e4od) and it seemed to get about 16 hwy.

As mentioned, I have no interest in getting rid of the bug right now, if ever. So that's pretty much non-negotiable.

The idi van I spotted. Doesn't look extended. Inside isn't trashed, has carpet and interior cloth on walls (not bare) and over the rear axle, it has some funky sideways bench seats? An old low risk prisoner transport van?

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The rear cargo doors have both been replaced (white, not yellow, and missing the little chrome trim wrapping low around the van) but I don't see any bumper damage, unless it's also been replaced. Could be it just got backed into something that trashed the doors though.

I backed my conversation van into another conversation van's spare tire carrier when I was still a pretty fresh, new driver, and I tried backing up when I was mad about something. Only damaged one door on mine since I wasn't going very fast, basically just rolled into it at an angle. Exchanged insurance info but nothing came of it since only mine was damaged.